Java earthquake

A strong earthquake shook Indonesia’s densely populated Java island late Friday, killing at least two people and severely damaging dozens of homes near the epicenter.

The magnitude-6.5 earthquake was felt across the island, including about 124 miles away from the epicenter in the capital, Jakarta, where office towers and apartment buildings swayed.

People ran out of buildings in many areas and roads were clogged with motorbikes, cars and trucks as people fled coastal areas in fear of a tsunami. In some places, powerful earthquake tremors lasted as long as 30 seconds.

Damage was heaviest in the Tasikmalaya, Pangandaran and Ciamis regions of West Java province near the earthquake epicenter. More than 40 houses collapsed and about 65 suffered severe damage, said Mr. Nugroho.

The earthquake was about 56 miles deep and located just inland, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It triggered a tsunami warning for parts of Java’s coastline that was lifted about two hours later.

Java, Indonesia’s most densely populated island, is home to more than half of the country’s 250 million people.

The US Geological Survey said the epicentre of the magnitude-6.5 earthquake was located at a depth of 57 miles (92km), about 32 miles south-west of Tasikmalaya.
Source: DORRIS